World-Class Resources for Nonprofits

Benefit from Comprehensive Capabilities and Depth of Expertise

Our experienced professionals proactively work with your organization to offer advice-driven solutions to help you achieve your objectives.

Custody and Technology

A top-tier global custodian is critical when working with multiple money managers and diverse asset classes to provide greater control in monitoring your assets and access to comprehensive, consolidated reporting. Northern Trust is one of the world’s largest global custodians, demonstrating robust, external asset aggregation capabilities.

We offer institutional-designed reporting and monitoring tools that many organizations might not otherwise be able to access. Our systems are leading edge when it comes to compliance, regulatory and audit capabilities, and reflect the very latest industry requirements such as Form 990 and FAS 157. We have made a strong commitment to both new technology investments and continual infrastructure enhancements to meet our clients’ dynamic and ever-changing needs.

Our clients have access to powerful reporting tools that can pull a wide variety of data and analytics right from their desktop. Capabilities include fully integrated accounting, tax and performance reporting and cash management reports.

Planned Giving and Philanthropic Advisory

Our long history of managing and administering assets for families and the charitable organizations they support enables us to provide a unique perspective. We can assist in structuring investment trusts to support donor contributions through charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities or charitable lead trusts. We can also support your organization’s efforts toward responsible stewardship with consulting services for directors and trustees.

Insights from Northern Trust

Follow trends and stay current with the latest investment topics through our update calls, podcasts, white papers, publications and commentary. We provide analysis of political and economic developments in world financial markets along with the distinctive commentary of our globally renowned economist and our other experts.

Marguerite Griffin

Marguerite Griffin

National Director of Philanthropic Services

Marguerite H. Griffin is a Senior Vice President at The Northern Trust Company, Chicago. As National Director of Philanthropic Services, Marguerite is responsible for the delivery and growth of Northern Trust's philanthropic services to Wealth Management clients. She specializes in administering charitable trusts, private foundations and other tax-exempt entities, and counsels clients regarding charitable giving strategies, nonprofit compliance and risk management, family succession planning, microfinance and international philanthropy.

Marguerite most recently was a Senior Trust Administrator and Relationship Manager where she was responsible for the administration of large, complex trusts for individuals and families, including irrevocable trusts, charitable trusts and supporting organizations. Her duties involved working with sophisticated estate plans, sensitive family situations and complex property transfers.

Prior to joining Northern Trust as a Vice President in November 1999, Marguerite was a Vice President and Trust Administrator within the Private Clients Division of First Chicago, Bank One. Before joining First Chicago, Bank One, she practiced law as an Associate with Vedder, Price, Kaufman & Kammholz where she specialized in estate planning, tax-exempt organizations, charitable trusts and private foundations.

Marguerite received a B.A. degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a J.D. degree from Northwestern University School of Law. She is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Estate Planning Council. Marguerite is admitted to practice before the Illinois Supreme Court. She is a frequent speaker at industry events, addressing topics such as microfinance, nonprofit board governance, strategic giving and trends in philanthropy.

Marguerite is an active volunteer, advisor and board member with several civic and cultural institutions, including the Art Institute of Chicago, The Institute for Learning, Access and Training at The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Chicago Community Trust, Donors Forum of Illinois, The Museum of Science and Industry, The Ravinia Festival and WTTW/WFMT.

Katrina Pipasts

Katrina Pipasts

Vice President

Katrina is a Vice President and Portfolio Manager in our Foundation and Institutional Advisors national team. Her responsibilities include providing clients advice about the design and implementation of institutional investment programs as well as implementing and executing investment strategies for Planned Giving assets. Furthermore, Katrina manages the investment portfolios for Northern Trust's Donor Advised Fund program. In addition to her investment duties, she is responsible for client servicing and administration for all Planned Giving account types.

Prior to her current position, Katrina worked in the Not-For-Profit Division of Corporate and Institutional Services as a Relationship Manager servicing Planned Giving clients. Prior to that, Katrina was a Senior Portfolio Manager and Socially Responsible Index Strategist for the US Equity Index Team of Northern Trust Global Investments. She worked extensively with numerous Institutional and Wealth Management clients that had customized Socially Responsible equity index mandates. Katrina also served as a Team Leader overseeing a team of portfolio managers managing pension, foundation and endowments assets in customized equity portfolios, tax advantaged portfolios and cash overlay products. Katrina joined Northern in 1997 as a result of the acquisition of ANB Investment Management and Trust Company. At ANB, Katrina worked as a Fund Accountant and Equity Index Portfolio Manager. She developed, managed and traded SmallCap and International equity portfolios, as well as launched a proprietary Socially Responsible S&P500 index fund and an Emerging Markets index portfolio.

Katrina received a B.S. degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Western Ontario and a B.B.A. degree in Accountancy from Western Michigan University. She is an Associated Person of the National Futures Association.

Katrina is a member of the Chicago Council on Planned Giving, a member of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning, Treasurer of the Park Ridge Juniors Foundation and a Board Member of the Latvian Center Garezers in Three Rivers, Michigan.